Process for making paper barrel-staves.



J. T. COLLINS.

rnoonss ron Mmmm PAPER mmm. smvns.

APPLIUATIOI FILED APB. 1B, 1008.

Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

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,r1/lll JOHN T. COLLINS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

PROCESS FOR MAKING PAPER BARBEL-STAVES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

Application led April 18, 1908. Serial No. 427,925.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN T. COLLINS. a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and resident of Hartford, in the county of Hartford and Stateof Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inProcesses for liflaking Paper Ilarrel-Staves, of which the following isa full, clear, and exact description.

This invention pertains to process for making paper barrel staves, andhas for its object a process which will produce in a single operation astave which is cut, shaped, formed with chines and Crozes, andsimultaneously compressed into the desired finished product ready forpurposes of assemblage into barrels, or the like.

The process more particularly resides in a peculiar softening, bysteaming, meistening, or other approved method, of sheeted paper pulpstock or blank material from which the staves are produced, prior tosuch stock or blank material being shaped by compression. The steamingor moistening penetrates the stock only to a comparatively small extentVof its thickness, being but a surface softening thereof, leaving thecore, bulk, or mass of the stock in its original hardened state orcondition. The softening of the stock takes place at the ends, sides topand bottom faces of the stock.

In the following specification the details of the process will be morefully set forth, further objects being disclosed and set forth therein.i

In the drawings, showing one form of apparatus whereby the process maybe practiced: Figure 1, is an inverted view of the male die forming apart ofthe apparatus, Fig. 2, is a plan View of the female or bed die,Fig. 3, is a longitudinal section taken through the two dies the same inthe act of forming a sta\e, Fig. 4, is a transverse section of Fig. 3,on line 4-1 of Fig. 3, Fig. 5, is a fragmentary view slightly enlargedshowin@ the stock of sheeted paper pulp from willich the staves areformed, illustrating by dotted lines the extent of steaming or otherwisesoftening of the stock, Fig. 6. is an enlarged transverse section takenthrough a completed stave, illustrating by dotted lines the form assumedby staves of paper pulp after having been made accordln to the practicewhich has generally obtained prior to thisinvention, and Fig. 7, is areduced transverse section of a stave blank showing by dotted lines theextent of softening of the sheetcd paper pulp.

The female or bed die is composed of a base plate l, on the upper faceof which the die proper is carried, the latter as depicted in thedrawings having a concave compres sion face or surface 2 whose curvatureconforms to that of the outer side or face of the finished stave.Adjacent the bounding edges of surface Q, the die is formed with agroove 3, which in outline conforms to that of the stave product, thisGroove receiving a filling of lead or other soft metal 4, for a purposepresently obvious. Base plate l, is equipped with Guiding posts 5,projecting upwardly therefrom, whose function it is to provide guidingmovement to the male die member in its operations, for which purpose thesupporting plate 6 of the male die member is formed With openings 7,receiving posts 5.

The male die member is formed with a die compression face or surface 8,of convex contour, its curvature corresponding to that of the female dieface or surface. Suitablv secured to the sides and ends of the male dieare cutting blades 9, the side blades being shaped or curved from end toend to conform to the configuration of the finished staves, which lattertaper in curved lines from their middle portions to their ends. It is tobe especially observed in Fig. 4;, that the inner side faces of theblades 9, are tapered as indicated at 9, so as to impart to the sideedges of the staves their roper angularity. The end blades prescri e thepredetermined len th of the staves and when combined Wi'i the sideblades constitute, so to s eak, the sharpened Walls of a box. The b adesor knives are beveled at their free ends as indicated at l0, so as toeffect a positive and clean cut of the a er pulp, the knives or bladesfinding a soft fied in the inset lead strips 4, as above set forth so asto not dull or otherwise impair the efficiency of the cutting edges ofthe knives or blades. The male die member on its die face is furtherformed adjacent its ends with outwardly projecting croze forming ribs11, whose function it is to form the croze at each endof the stave.Beyond these ribs the male die face is formed with a slight depression12, to form the chines.

Prior to subjecting the stock of which the staves are formed to theaction of the apparatus above set forth, the stock, which may be in theform of a sheet or strips of proper dimensions, is steamed, moistened orotherwise softened at the external or surface p0rtions only. leaving thegreater mass or hulk at the inside in its normal hard condition. By sosoftening only the surface ortions of the stoves., stock or blank asccpicted by dotted lines in Fig. 5 of the drawings, the linished stavewhen removed from the dies at the completion of their operation, re- Itains its proper are shape. 'erc the stoel: i to be softened by steamingentirely through i its mass, a stave after leaving the dies, would indrying curl in an extreme manner i as shown by dctted line Fig. o.

The stave stock or blanks are produced: from sheeted. per ulp of greaterthick ness than the gillen product for instant-e 1 if the stock istive-eighths of an inch iul thickne they are colngu'essed b5' the diezicv E tion to three-eighths of an inch in thickness. It; is thereforeto be observed that the surface or partial softening of the blanks is ofthe greatest and utmost importance. since the body. mass. or bulli ofthe blank is allowed to remain iu its original hard condition, and is infact given second compresv sion to further increase its degree ofhardness. Moreover it is to be noted that the; .softened lne of pulpwill by the act ofC compression be hardened to an extreme degrecinasmuch as the unsatened or hard portion of the :ness of pulp wi lprovide a rm solid hed on which the wtened mass is i compressed. Thusboth the softened and unsoftened portions proit by their di'erent statedconditions during the process of compression.

in operation the snoei: us aina-said either i in sheets or in .strips ofproper length har ing been surfaced softened is introduced between thetwo dies. The male die is then operated in any suitable manner tocompress the stock so that the same assumes the position between thedies as depicted in P" 3 of the drawings. The descent of the maille dieupon the stock is accom anied by simultnneons cutting action of t eblades which trim the stock and cut the saine into desired length andwidth. The chine-s and croates are also formed in this stated operationand the side blades due to their bevel as illustrated in F 4, impart therequired angularity to the stare sides such as is necessary to provide aperfect it between adjacent stares in the finished barrel. The leadinset or lling contacts with the cutting edges of the knives and therebyprovides a sealing joint or union between the two dies preventing theegress of the softened pulp during the heeey compression of the stock.

It is understood that the sheeted paper pnl from which-the stares aremade is in lts' lshed condition .at the'tme of softenng,`that fs;to sayin its'mannacture it has Etna cned by compression or otherwise.

To practice the present invention the hardened sheet pulp is partiallysoftened and its softened portions shaped by compression to form thefinished stave as depicted in the drawings. Thus the re-com ression ofthe softened arts gives added Hardness to the surface ot the stares,rendering the surface finish of increased durability, since thecompression of the softened parts is backed up or rorided a bard bed bythe unsoftened bull; of the stock.

Haring thus described the invention what claimed is l. A. process ofmaking barrel stares of sgi-.cried paper pulp consisting in softeningthe stock at its bounding surfaces only, leav. ing its center in itsoriginal hardened condi- :i=n and in then shaping the stave.

2. -i process of making barrel stares of lae1-tcd paper pulp whichconsists in partially softening the side faces of the pulp stock and inthen shaping the stoves by compression.

3. proces` of making barrel stares of previously hardened and compressedpaper pnlp which consists in softening the pulp adjacent the surfacethereof so as to leave the core or bulk of the stare in its originalhardened condition, and in then shaping the stave and displacing ortionsof its softened snrface to form the c ines and crozes.

4. A process of making barrel stares from szeeted :iper pulp whichconsists in partially so and then in shaping such softening parts, bycompression, on the unsoftened parte of the paperlpnlp. n I I l f u. :xpluck-:s ui inhaling udii'rn ui 16311 paper pulp which consists inpartallv softenng the stock, conpressiug such softened parts to hardenand shape the same, and simultaneously cutting the stock into stares ofre usite size.

6. process of making barrel stares of sheeted paper pulp which consistsin softening the surface portions of the stock and leaving the mass orbulk o the stock in its original hardened condition., and then incompressing the softened portions to shape the stare whereby thefinished stave has a less thickness than the slieeted paper pulp.

T. The herein described process of makinv barrel stares of sheeted aperpulp whic has a thickness in excess oi) the finished stave, whichconsists in softening the stave faces and leaving the center thereof inits original hard condition and in then compressing Ysuch softened facesto sha e the same.

Signed by me ut gpringeld, Masmchw sette, in presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

JOHN T. COLLINS. Witnesses:

G. R. Datecom, W. Bnnmws.

enng hardened sheeted paper pulp

